Chair



L. LARSEN Jan. 29, 1935.

CHAIR Filed Jan. 28, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l hired??? lPMPiQ/SQZ L. LARSENJan. 29, 1935.

CHAIR Filed Jan. 28, 1933 2 Shee ts-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 29, 1935 CHAIRLewis Larsen, Menominee, Mich, assignor to Heywood-Wakefield Company,Boston, Mass a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 28,1983, Serial No.'653,988

.7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in chairs and it consists of thematters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved chair moreparticularly adapted for outdoor use and which includes a metallic frameand a fabric or like covering providing the seat and back rest, thefabric and frame being so constructed as to permit a ready attachmentand drawing taut of the covering into back restand seat providingrelation with respect to the frame.

A further object of the invention is to so construct a chair of thiskind, that the fabric covermg is supported as a rolled edge at the frontend of the seat, to there avoid any substantially sharp corners.

Another object of the invention is to provide a chair of this kindhaving a spring base whereby the occupant may set up a teetering actionin the chair and which 'chair also includes a forwardly extending leg orfoot rest which may be swung into and releasably. secured in anout-of-the-way position, beneath the seat, when the use of such a footrest is not desired by the occupant.

The above mentioned objects of the invention, as well as others,together with the many advantages thereof will more fully appear as Iproceed with my specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a chair embodying the preferred form ofmy invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale,through the seat and ad 'jacent portions of the chair as taken on theline 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation on an enlarged scale, of the top end partof the back rest as looked at from the rear thereof;

Fig. 4 is a detail transverse sectional'view on an enlarged scale astaken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; a

Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of the seat and back rest fabric orcovering when removed from the frame;

Fig. 6 is a view in elevation of the fabric or covering for the footrest of the chair;

Fig. '7 is a detail horizontal sectional view through a part of thechair as taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 8 is a'detail vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale as takenon the line 8--8 of Fig. 1.

I n general, my improved chair which is more particularly adapted foruse outdoors as upon a porch, lawn or in a garden, includes a basehaving yieldable side members made of flat spring stock. Associatedtherewith is a tubing structure cured upon the yieldable side members ofthe A fabric covering is associated with said frames and is formed for adetachable connection at its ends with-said structure and at a pointbetween its ends, said covering is so formed as to be operativelyengaged by suitable devices, in turn connected to a fixed part of theframe, whereby said fabric may be drawn into a taut condition providingthe-seat and back rest.

At the front of the seat frame is provided a transverse extending kneerail or roll of a sener ously curved cross section about which thefabric engages. This rail eliminates any sharp corners at the front ofthe seat and providesa wide. smooth surfaced support for the fabric sothat it cannot draw into wrinkles at this point.

In connection with what may be called the chair proper and whichcomprises the base, seat and back rest, a foot or leg rest is provided.This rest is so pivoted at its rear end to the chair proper, that whenit is so desired, said rest may be swung up under the seat and theredetachably secured in an out-of-the-way position and without in any wayinterfering with the teetering action of the chair. Said foot or legrest includes a frame of tubing and a detachable fabric or like coveringwhich may be drawn into a taut condi-' tion during its attachment.

Referring now in detail to that embodiment of the invention, illustratedin the accompanying drawings:

1 indicates as a whole the base of the chair preferably made of flatstrip, spring stock. As shown, said base includes upwardly bowed, floorengaging side members 2-2 which are connected together at their rearends by a cross member 3. Each floor engaging member is bent upwardly atits front end as at 4 and then rearwardly to provide a portion 5 and tosaid portions a tubular framing is attached as will soon'appear. Theportions 5- are preferably disposed in the plane of but above theassociated floor engaging members of the base.

6 indicates as a whole a tubing, structure mounted on the base. Thisstructure is formed to provide a back rest frame including substantiallyupright side members 7 ,and a seat frame including substantiallyhorizontal side members the top ends of the side members 7 beingconnected together by a cross member 9. 0n the underside of said member9, are provided laterally spaced, downwardly extending buttons or studs912, best shown in Fig. 3.

Between each side member 8 of the seat frame and associated part 5 ofthe base is a brace or reinforcing member 10, the front end of whichfollows down the inclined front portion of said part, the members 8 and'10 and parts 5-all being connected together inoperative relation innected together by a cross tube 13 while the posts 12 of both arm restsare connected together by a pair of vertically spaced top and bottomflat bars 14 and 15 respectively. These bars form a support for a frontrail 16 of a curved cross sec-' tion to provide a rounded corner or rollat the front of the seat frame. The longitudinal top margin of the rail16 engages upon and is preferably spot welded to the top surfaces of thebar 14 while the longitudinal bottom margin of said rail engages withand is preferably spot welded to the bottom surfaces of the bar 15. Thetop bar 14 is arranged in substantially the plane of the top of the seatframe side members '1 and on the bottom bar is provided a plurality ofupstanding studs or buttons 17.

At the junction of each setof side members '1 and 8 of the back rest andseat frames, I provide rearwardly and 7 Slightly downwardly extendingbrackets 18 which are connected together by a cross rod 18. Also at saidjunctions there are provided downwardly extending, laterally flexiblehooks 20, the purpose of which will appear later.

In connection with the seat and back rest frames, I provide meansforming a seat and back rest, preferably of a good stout fabric. Suchameans is shown in Fig. 3 and the same comprises a strip 21 of fabricsuch as canvas, of a width approximating the distance between the setsof members '7 and 8 and of a length substantially equally the combinedlengths of said members. Said strip is stitched transversely at a pointbetween its ends as at 22 to provide a transverse pocket 23 on its rearside and which pocket divides the strip into a back rest portion 24 anda seat portion 25. In both sides of said pocket, are laterally spacedcut-outs, or notches 26, the purpose of which will soon appear.

The free-r bottom end of said seat portion of the strip as shown in Fig.is stitched'to there provide a transversely extending pocket 2'1 inwhich is located a flat metallic reinforcing bar 28, there beinggrommets 29 in said pocket and bar, spaced in accordance with the studsor buttons 17 of the bar 15 before mentioned.

The-top corner portions of said fabric strip are cutaway as at 30 toprovide a narrower end or tab 31. This tab is stitched to form atransverse pocket 32 in which -is located a reinforcing metallic strip33 and grommets 34 are provided therein and spaced laterally inaccordance with the spacing of the buttons or studs 91: on the bar 9 ofthe framing 6. Stitched to the-rear side of the back rest portion ofsaid fabric strip near said cut-out corners, are laterally extendingstraps or tapes 35. These straps or tapes carry on those ends stitchedto the fabric strip and on their free ends respectively, coacting partsof snap fasteners 36..

The fabric strip 21 is applied to the framing 6, as follows:

The free end of the seat portion 25 is brought around the knee rail orroll 16 and the grommets 29 are engaged with the studs 1'! on the bar15-.

In this operation, care is taken that the pocket 22 is disposed on therear side of thestrip. The tab 31 is then brought upover the front ofthe cross member 9 and then around the same and its grommets 34 areengaged with the buttons or studs 9a on said cross member.

A rod 37 of substantially small diameter is then inserted into thepocket 23 from one end and straps 38 are looped around the bar 19 androd37, the cut-outs 26 in said pocket allowing for the application of saidstraps. These straps which are provided with the usual buckles arepulled tight and this acts through the rod 3'7 to draw the seat portion25 taut from its rear end and to draw down the back rest portion 24 fromits bottom end so that the same becomes taut as best shown in Figs. 1and 2. Thereafter the straps or tapes 35 are drawn-around the sidemembers 77 and the coacting parts of the fasteners 36 are operativelyengaged. With such an arrangement, it is apparent that should the seatportion 25 and back rest portion 24 of fabric stretch under use, thisstretch can be taken up by further drawing up on the straps 38 so thatsaid fabric is again made taut to better hold against saggin under theweight of the occupant.

In connection with the construction before deside frame members 3939 oftubing. Each side frame member includes an intermediate portion 40 whichis normally inclined downwardly and forwardly from the knee rail or roll16 and a rear end portion 41 which is inclined downwardly and rearwardlyto extend under the knee rail or roll and there be pivotally connectedas at 42 to the inner side of the bottom end of the post 12 of the armrests. Each side frame member is further formed at the front end of theintermediate portion 40 with a leg 43 provided at its bottom end with acaster 44.

The side frame members are connected together by transverse members45-46 and 47 respectively as best shown in Fig. 2, the former being atube and the latter ones being flat bars.

On the rear side of the tube member 45 are lat One end of said strip isstitched to there provide a transverse pocket 50 in which is located ametallic reinforcing bar 51 having grommets 52 extending therethrough.These grommets are spaced apart a distance corresponding to the spacingof the studs or buttons 48 on the member 45 and with which theycooperate. The other end of. said strip is stitched to there provide atrans-.

verse pocket 53, with cut-out notches or recesses Inapplying the cover49 to the foot rest frame, the grommets 52 are engaged with the studs 48on the cross tube 45 of the foot rest frame and the covering is thenbrought around toward the top of said cross tube and over the cross bar46. A rod of small diameter is then inserted into the pocket 53 from oneend and straps 56 are inserted in therecesses 54 and passed around therod 55 and cross bar 47 as best shown in Fig. 2. The straps which areprovided with the usual buckles are then pulled tight and this will drawthe covering 49 taut so that it is free from wrinkles after which thestraps are buckled. Should the covering 49 sag in use, this sag may beremoved by again tightening the straps.

Should it be desired to temporarily dispense with the foot rest, thechair is tilted backwardly about the cross bar 3 'of the base as wardsand the foot rest frame is then swung about its pivots 42,into aposition under the seat. In this movement of the foot rest frame,portions of the side bars 40 thereof, engage the spring hooks 20 andforce them laterally outward until said side bars engage with a snapaction with the shoulders of said hooks. This folded under position ofthe foot rest frame .is best shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. When inthis position, the foot rest is out of theway so that the chair ,may bemore easily moved about from one place of use to another. When the footrest frame is in this folded under condition it in no way interfereswith the teeter- I ing action of the chair.

may be specifically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: 1

1. In a chair of the kind described, means providing an open seatframeincluding side members, an upright post at the front end of eachside member, top and bottom, vertically spaced bars between said postsat opposite sides of the seat frame, said bottom bar having studs on theupperside thereof, a knee roll member of asubstantially semicircularhollow cross section fixed along the inside of its top and bottommargins to said vertically spaced bars respectively, and a fabric seatmemberpassing about said knee roll member and provided at one end with areinforcing member detachably connected to said studs on said bottom,bar.

2. A chair embodying therein an open frame including side members andcross members, a fabricmember for the frame, means connecting the endportions of said fabric member to two of said cross members, meansproviding a pocket'in another portion of said fabric member, a rodarranged in said pocket, said pocket having openings therein to exposeportions of said rod, and adjustable members engaged with-said portionsof the rod exposed through said openings and with a third cross memberof the frame and operable to draw said fabric member taut between saidtwo-cross members.

3. A chair embodying therein an open frame including'side members andcrossmembers, a fabric member for the frame, means connecting the endportions of said fabric member to two of said cross members, meansproviding a pocket in another portion of said fabric member, a rodarranged in said pocket, said pocket having openings therein to exposeportions of said rod, and adjustable straps passing about a third crossmember of the frame and through said openings and about portions of therod exposed through said openings and operable to draw said fabricmembers taut between said ,two cross members. 4. A chair embodyingtherein an open frame including side members and cross members, a fabricmember for the frame having a transverse pocket with openings thereinand dividing said fabric member into two portions, means connecting apart of each portion to two of said cross members, and arranged in saidpocket and parts of which rodare exposed through the openings in saidpocket, and means passing around said parts of said rod exposed throughsaid openings and around another of said cross members for drawing saidrod toward said last mentioned cross member and totauten both portionsof the fabric member in an endwise direction.

5. In a chair of the kind described, a seat frame including at the frontthereof, top and bottom vertically spaced bars, the bottom bar havingstuds on the'uppe'r side thereof, a knee roll member of a substantiallysemi-circular hollow cross section fixed along the inside of its top andbottom margins'to said vertically spaced bars respectively, and a fabricseat member passing about said knee roll member and provided at one endwith a reenforcing member detachably connected to said studs on saidbottom bar.

6. A chair embodying therein means providing a seat and a back restframe, including side members, a transversely extending knee roll memberof curved cross section at the front ofthe seat frame, a cross member atthe top of the back rest frame, a transverse member spaced to the rearof the junction of the side members of the seat and back rest frame andsecured to the side members, a fabric member including a seat and a backrest portion, means for securing the free end of the seat portion to thefnont' of the seat frame after passing about said knee roll member,means on the free end of the back rest portion for securing the same tosaid said cross member at the top of the back rest frame, a transversepocket in said fabric member at a point between said seat and back restportions, a rod in said pocket, and means passing around portions ofsaid rod exposed through openings in said, pocket-and around portionsvof said transverse member and operable to draw said rod in said pockettoward said transverse member and to simultaneously tauten said seat andback rest portions of said fabric member. I I

, 7. In a chair, a seat frame and a back rest frame, the latterincluding a top cross bar; a knee rollat the front "of the seat frame, afabric member having a transverse pocket between its ends which dividesaid member into a seat portion and a back rest portion, there beinglaterally spaced openings in said pocket, means for securing the frontend of the seat portion to said knee roll,

